The long-awaited second album ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ (matcd055) from Seattle pop darlings Math and Physics Club is currently in the hands of our pressing plant so you’re just two weeks away from having one of your very own!
Math and Physics Club first captured our hearts in 2005 with the charming ‘Weekends Away’ EP (matinée 056), which quickly sold out of its initial pressing. The band’s brand of literate acoustic-based guitar pop has garnered frequent comparisons to bands like The Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, and labelmates The Lucksmiths, and their self-titled debut full length (matcd042) was named best indiepop album of 2006 by PopMatters. Picking up where their excellent 2007 ‘Baby I’m Yours’ EP (matinée 066) left off, Math and Physics Club return with their first long player in nearly four years.
‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ is a smashing collection of ten new pop gems, chock full of the chiming guitars and sweet melodies we’ve come to expect, but it also packs a punch their earlier work shied away from. Seattle producer Martin Feveyear helped the band dial in rich, clean tones reminiscent of their 80’s influences like The Housemartins, but with a decidedly modern luster. The ten tracks clock in at less than 25 minutes, showcasing the band’s knack for crisp arrangements and good sense to know when a song just doesn’t need that extra chorus.
First single ‘Jimmy Had a Polaroid’ starts out in familiar MAPC fashion, but as soon as the drums and bass rumble into the picture you realize this is no twee affair. As chiming guitars whirl through the choruses, the rhythm section keeps things driving at a fast clip that will surely get the kids dancing. It’s the sort of song that HAD to be released as a single so we’ve gone and pressed up 500 copies on ice blue 7” vinyl (matinée 075) with a great exclusive b-side too! Please see below for further single details.
The full album tracklisting is: 1. Jimmy Had A Polaroid; 2. We Make A Pair; 3. Trying To Say I Love You; 4. Everybody Loves A Showtune; 5. Love or Loneliness; 6. Will You Still Love Me?; 7. I’ll Tell You Anything; 8. The Internationale; 9. I’ve Been That Boy; 10. We’re So DIY!
You can preview several album tracks on the catalog page and download the single ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ for free from the Matinée sounds page RIGHT NOW!
The band is promoting the new album with an appearance May 30 at the San Francisco Popfest, and has scheduled a record release show in Seattle at The Crocodile on June 12th. Please see the band website for more details.
As luck would have it, you can now preorder ‘I Shouldn’t Look As Good As I Do’ from the Matinée shop as we speak. The album is officially released June 1st but we are shipping website preorders from May 25th because we like you so much. Don’t forget a copy of the ‘Jimmy Had A Polaroid’ 7” (matinée 075) too!
While you’re in shopping mode, we recently came across a box of extra sleeves for the band’s long sold out debut single ‘Weekends Away’ (matinée 056) so we did a short run repressing of the EP and now have 100 fresh copies available for anybody that didn’t get it before it originally sold out. Hurry though—these won’t last long!